Does it work with self-hosted GitLab?

Yes. Set `GITLAB_API_URL` to your instance's API root (e.g. `https://gitlab.mycompany.com/api/v4`) alongside the personal access token. The MCP routes every call to that host.

What scopes should the GitLab token have?

For read-only code exploration: `read_api`. For MR and issue work add `api`. For private project access add `read_repository`. Start with `read_api` and expand only when the agent reports a 403 — least-privilege still matters.

Yes, when the token has `api` scope and the MR meets the project's merge requirements (approvals, pipelines passing). The MCP respects GitLab's merge protection — if the rules block the merge, the call returns the same error a human would see.

No — it is a community-maintained server. GitLab has not shipped a first-party MCP yet. The community server is the practical default in the meantime.

How does it compare to the GitHub MCP?

Feature parity is close: repo browsing, MR/PR management, issue triage, code search, pipeline status. The naming differs (MR vs PR, projects vs repos) and GitLab's API surfaces a few extra primitives like container registries and runners that the MCP exposes too.

GitLab

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Full GitLab API access: repos, MRs, issues, pipelines, and registries.

Score 82(?)zereight (community)MIT 1.5kVerified May 6, 2026Top MCPs for Git & Repo Workflows →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Provides access to GitLab projects, merge requests, issues, commits, branches, pipelines, and code search via the GitLab REST API.

Best for

Merge request review and management
Issue triage on GitLab projects
Code search across self-hosted instances
Pipeline status monitoring

Not for

GitHub workflows
Repos that span both GitHub and GitLab without a clear primary

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

# export GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=glpat-your_token
# export GITLAB_API_URL=https://gitlab.com/api/v4
claude mcp add gitlab -- npx -y @zereight/mcp-gitlab

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "-y",
            "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
          ],
          "env": {
            "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
            "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.gitlab]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "-y",
  "@zereight/mcp-gitlab",
]
env = { GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN = "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}", GITLAB_API_URL = "${GITLAB_API_URL}" }

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "${GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN}",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "${GITLAB_API_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Apps directorynone

GitLab doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build.

2
Set required secrets
Set GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, GITLAB_API_URL in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Open a draft MR that bumps a dependency
On the GitLab project `my-group/my-app`, open a draft merge request from a new branch `bump-axios` that updates axios to the latest patch version in package.json and runs the test pipeline. Do not merge — leave it draft for review.
Tested with: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tool	Description	Args	Side effects
`list_projects`	List projects the token has access to.	—	Read
`get_file_contents`	Read a file from a project at a given path and ref.	project_id: string, file_path: string, ref?: string	Read
`search_code`	Search code across projects.	q: string	Read
`create_merge_request`	Open a merge request.	project_id: string, source_branch: string, target_branch: string, title: string	Write
`merge_merge_request`	Merge an open MR that satisfies the project's merge requirements.	project_id: string, merge_request_iid: number	Write
`create_issue`	Open a new issue on a project.	project_id: string, title: string, description?: string	Write
`get_pipeline`	Fetch pipeline status and jobs.	project_id: string, pipeline_id: number	Read

Security & scope

Access scope: Read + write
Sandbox: Authenticates to the GitLab API using the personal access token in `GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN`. The blast radius equals the token scope — the MCP has whatever project, MR, issue, and admin permissions the token grants.
Gotchas: Self-hosted instances often have different scope semantics than gitlab.com — verify in your instance's admin docs before assuming a scope is read-only.
Branch protection and merge rules apply server-side; unprotected branches let an agent push directly to default branches.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. git & repo workflows work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-git-repo-workflows

Compare GitLab against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare GitLab MCP vs [GitHub MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/gitlab
- top-mcps.com listing for GitHub

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the GitLab MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/gitlab (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/gitlab.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN, GITLAB_API_URL) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

May 6, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
Feb 20, 2025
Initial directory listing.

More Git & Repo Workflows MCPs

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gitlocalcommitsdiff

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Compared with GitLab

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

GitLabvsGitHub GitLabvsGit GitLabvsSentry GitLabvsContext7

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